Since ‘95, The Arbor Collective has been a growing cooperative of designers, artists and friends, whose shared goal is building rideable and wearable things from the best stuff possible. From day one, it’s been good times, all day, every day, almost without fail. Along the way, we’ve managed to combine a little forward thinking design and old school craftsmanship, with a serious commitment to the environment.

We launched the brand in ‘95 with snowboards. We were determined to build with a more out front use of beneficial materials such as wood, bamboo, and other sustainable stuff. The goal was to match the riding experience, improve performance, and highlight art that reinforced the Arbor story. The mission will always be to produce the highest quality, handmade snowboards possible, and hopefully inspire a few people to be part of leading the effort to protect the planet.

We started the skateboard division in 1998. For years we had been turning old snowboards into skates to bomb hills when snow and surf was hard to find. We rode at odd hours and freaked a few people out. In the end, those late nights launched a program that now offers a huge range of shapes for all types of skating. As you would expect, materials, shaping, art, and design all come together in the same tradition as our snowboards. Arbor Skateboards – handmade, quality woodcraft.

Arbor’s mission is to create a high level of function, relevance, and style in the most responsible way possible. To that end, we added a line of clothing that fits our vibe and complements our boards. A portion of that apparel takes advantage of fabrications like bamboo and organic cotton, which deliver performance, comfort, and accountability. More visibly, the apparel allows us to highlight our efforts to support the protection and restoration of forests in Hawaii. It’s in the name Arbor.

NOT JUST PLANTING TREES, REBUILDING FORESTS WITH EVERY SALE.

The Arbor Collective is a crew of friends with a range of approaches to what, why, and where to ride. Tying these diverse perspectives together is a shared respect for the environment. That connection is a huge part of why Arbor was founded, and continues to be a driving force at the brand.

Since day one, we’ve donated a portion of everything sold to groups that protect and restore forests, and promote the sustainable use of natural resources. This is our Returning Roots program. The effort has been centered on the Koa highlands of Hawaii. We see this as the best way to give back to the planet and culture that gave us riding in the first place. The native Hawaiians invented surfing as much as 1,000 years ago, on boards made from Koa wood. If you surf mountains, sidewalks, or swell – the Hawaiians get a nod of gratitude.

The Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation Initiative is our main Returning Roots partner today. This group is not just planting trees – they are rebuilding forests. By Spring 2015, they will have planted over 300,000 Koa trees on 800 acres of former forestland, with a full range of native understory plants to complete the ecosystem. The Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation Initiative is helping Arbor do our part in the restoration and protection of forests, while we strike an important balance with our use of sustainably sourced wood materials.